Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation and Submission

 

  1. Introduction

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) publishes scientifically rigorous, ethically compliant, and clearly reported manuscripts in anatomy and related biomedical sciences. These guidelines are intended to help authors prepare submission-ready manuscripts to a standard comparable with leading international journals.

Authors are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines in full before submission.

 

  1. Aims and Scope

JECA welcomes manuscripts in the following areas:

  • Gross anatomy
  • Histology and microanatomy
  • Embryology and developmental anatomy
  • Neuroanatomy
  • Comparative anatomy
  • Clinical anatomy
  • Experimental anatomy
  • Morphometry
  • Anatomical imaging
  • Translational anatomy
  • Anatomical education with strong methodological rigor

The journal considers studies involving:

  • human participants
  • cadavers and specimens
  • animal models
  • tissues and organs
  • laboratory and in vitro systems
  • microbial systems
  • imaging-based analysis

Submissions must demonstrate originality, scientific merit, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the field.

 

  1. Article Types

JECA accepts the following categories:

  • Original Research Articles
  • Review Articles
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
  • Short Communications
  • Case Reports and Case Series
  • Technical Notes
  • Letters to the Editor

 

  1. Editorial Standards

All manuscripts are assessed on the basis of:

  • novelty
  • scientific significance
  • methodological adequacy
  • reproducibility
  • ethical soundness
  • reporting quality
  • language quality
  • data presentation
  • image quality
  • reference quality
  • suitability for JECA readership

 

  1. General Manuscript Preparation

5.1 Language

All manuscripts must be written in clear, formal scientific English.

Authors should ensure:

  • grammatical accuracy
  • appropriate punctuation
  • correct spelling
  • consistent terminology
  • scientific clarity
  • proper tense usage
  • correct abbreviation use

Poor language quality may delay editorial processing.

5.2 Formatting Requirements

Authors must observe the following:

  • Use clear section headings.
  • Do not number section or subsection headings.
  • Spell out abbreviations in full at first mention.
  • Use standard scientific nomenclature and SI units where applicable.
  • Report dosages as mg/kg body weightor another scientifically appropriate unit.
  • Write post hocin italics throughout.
  • Write et al.in italics throughout.
  • Maintain consistency in style, capitalization, units, and symbols.

 

  1. Standard Manuscript Structure

A typical original research manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

  • Title page
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Funding statement
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Author contributions statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Ethical approval statement
  • Consent statement, where applicable
  • References
  • Tables
  • Figure legends
  • Figures
  • Supplementary material, where applicable

 

  1. Title Page

The title page must include:

  • full manuscript title
  • full names of all authors
  • all author affiliations
  • corresponding author’s name, address, email, and telephone number
  • ORCID IDs where available
  • article type
  • word count
  • number of tables and figures

Title Requirements

The title must be:

  • accurate
  • concise
  • specific
  • scientifically appropriate
  • reflective of the study design, population, species, model, specimen, or system where relevant

Avoid vague, broad, or exaggerated titles.

 

  1. Abstract and Keywords

8.1 Abstract Format

For original research manuscripts, the abstract must be structured under the following headings:

  • Introduction
  • Aim
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

8.2 Word Limit

The abstract must not exceed 250 words.

8.3 Abstract Content

The abstract should:

  • provide brief context
  • state the objective clearly
  • summarize methods succinctly
  • present key results with essential numerical findings where appropriate
  • provide an evidence-based conclusion
  • avoid overstatement

8.4 Keywords

Provide 3 to 5 keywords below the abstract.

Keywords should be:

  • relevant
  • specific
  • indexable
  • aligned with the core subject matter

 

  1. Introduction

The Introduction should:

  • provide adequate and current background
  • identify the scientific or clinical problem
  • summarize relevant literature
  • identify the research gap
  • justify the study
  • end with a clear objective, aim, or hypothesis

The review of literature should be focused and balanced, not excessive or superficial.

 

  1. Materials and Methods

This section must be sufficiently detailed to permit reproducibility.

10.1 Required Core Elements

Authors must clearly describe:

  • study design
  • study setting
  • study period
  • participant/animal/sample/specimen selection
  • inclusion criteria
  • exclusion criteria
  • sampling technique
  • sample size calculation
  • group allocation
  • randomization method
  • blinding procedure
  • intervention/exposure details
  • dosage or concentration
  • control groups
  • assay procedures
  • reagents and instruments
  • outcome measures
  • quality control procedures
  • data collection methods
  • handling of missing data
  • statistical analysis
  • software used
  • significance threshold
  • post hoctests where applicable
  • whether assumptions for statistical tests were checked

10.2 Reporting Standards by Study Type

Authors should comply with the relevant reporting guideline:

  • Animal study:ARRIVE 2.0
  • Human observational study:STROBE
  • Randomized clinical trial:CONSORT
  • Diagnostic accuracy study:STARD
  • Systematic review/meta-analysis:PRISMA
  • Qualitative study:COREQ where applicable

10.3 Human Studies

Human studies must clearly state:

  • sample size calculation
  • sampling technique
  • inclusion criteria
  • exclusion criteria
  • recruitment approach
  • ethics approval
  • informed consent

10.4 Animal Studies

Animal studies must clearly report:

  • species, strain, sex, age, and weight
  • source of animals
  • housing and husbandry
  • number of animals per group
  • grouping strategy
  • route, dose, frequency, and duration of intervention
  • ethical approval
  • anesthesia and euthanasia procedures

Animals must be clearly well-grouped.

10.5 In Vitro / Cell Culture / Microbial Studies

Such studies must clearly report:

  • cell line/organism identification
  • authentication
  • contamination control
  • media and culture conditions
  • passage number where relevant
  • controls
  • replicate numbers
  • assay standardization
  • biosafety and ethical sourcing where relevant

Controls and replicates must be explicitly stated.

10.6 Statistical Analysis

The statistical analysis subsection must specify:

  • software and version
  • statistical tests used
  • assumptions checked
  • significance threshold
  • confidence intervals where appropriate
  • multiple testing correction where applicable
  • post hocprocedure where applicable

 

  1. Results

The Results section must be:

  • clear
  • logical
  • aligned with the Methods
  • internally consistent
  • statistically sound

Authors should ensure:

  • consistency between text and tables/figures
  • correct percentages and denominators
  • clear baseline/sample characteristics where relevant
  • proper reporting of p-values and effect estimates
  • no data duplication
  • no interpretation within the Results section

 

  1. Discussion

The Discussion should:

  • interpret findings accurately
  • focus on key findings
  • compare findings with previous studies
  • explain similarities and differences
  • discuss possible mechanisms where relevant
  • address scientific or clinical implications responsibly
  • avoid repeating results verbatim
  • avoid overstatement

Claims must be justified by the data.

 

  1. Limitations

A dedicated limitations section or paragraph is required.

Authors should discuss realistic and relevant limitations related to:

  • design
  • sample size
  • bias
  • measurement issues
  • methodology
  • image quality
  • generalizability

 

  1. Conclusion

The Conclusion should be:

  • concise
  • evidence-based
  • directly supported by the findings
  • useful to readers
  • free from exaggerated claims

 

  1. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Material

15.1 General Requirements

All tables and figures must:

  • be cited in the text
  • be numbered consecutively
  • have clear titles/legends
  • define abbreviations
  • explain statistical symbols
  • be consistent with the text
  • be scientifically appropriate

15.2 Tables

Tables should:

  • be editable
  • avoid overcrowding
  • present data clearly
  • avoid redundancy with figures

15.3 Figures

Figures should:

  • be high resolution
  • have clear labels
  • include units where relevant
  • avoid misleading presentation

15.4 Histological Images

Histological images must be:

  • clear
  • well labeled
  • of acceptable quality
  • accompanied by visible scale bars
  • not labeled by magnification alone
  • supported by complete legends

15.5 Gel/Blot/PCR/Microscopy Images

Where applicable, such images should show:

  • lane labels
  • markers
  • controls
  • expected band sizes
  • minimal image processing
  • no inappropriate cropping

Authors may be asked to provide raw image files.

 

  1. Ethical Requirements

16.1 Human Studies

Must include:

  • ethics committee name
  • approval number
  • informed consent statement

16.2 Animal Studies

Must include:

  • institutional animal ethics approval
  • approval number
  • welfare-related procedures

16.3 Cadaveric/Specimen Studies

Must include:

  • lawful and ethical source of specimens
  • relevant institutional approval where required

 

  1. Required Declarations

Authors should include the following, as applicable:

  • Funding statement
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Author contributions statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Acknowledgments
  • Trial registration number
  • Ethical approval statement
  • Consent statement

 

  1. References

JECA requires strict APA style.

18.1 In-Text Citations

Use surname and year in curved parentheses:

  • (Ade, 2022)
  • (Ade & Oyegun, 2001)
  • (Ade et al., 2022)

Rules:

  • Use “and”in narrative citations.
  • Use “&”in parenthetical citations.
  • Write et al.in italics.

18.2 Reference List

References must be:

  • complete
  • accurate
  • current where possible
  • relevant
  • formatted in APA style
  • matched to in-text citations
  • accompanied by clickable DOI where available
  • written with full journal titles

Unverifiable or suspicious references should not be included.

 

  1. Pre-Submission Quality Check

Before submission, authors must ensure that:

  • the abstract is structured and ≤250 words
  • 3–5 keywords are included
  • abbreviations are defined at first use
  • study methods are reproducible
  • ethical approval is clearly stated
  • limitations are explicitly discussed
  • references are in APA style
  • all figures and tables are cited
  • histological images include scale bars
  • language has been carefully edited

 

  1. Contact and Submission Support

Authors are encouraged to prepare manuscripts carefully to minimize delays during technical screening and peer review.

Manuscript Submission: Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. And that, if accepted , it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without written consent of the copyright holder. To verify originality, your article may be checked by the originality detection service Crossref Similarity Check.

Manuscripts are submitted through Journal's online submission platform, jecajournal.com

New authors are required to register before they can sign in. Previously registered authors can sign in with their username and password.

Manuscript review process

Page Charges: Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, authors are required to publication charge of N50,000.00 to the Journal’s account.

Proofs: following corrections of reviewed articles, proofs will be sent via e-mail as PDF file to the corresponding author for proof-reading and minor corrections if any. Proof-read articles must be returned within seven days. Alterations to the text and figures (other than correction of errors in typesetting and grammar) are not acceptable at this stage.